Familiar Days
by LunarPlumas
Summary: Rin Mori is about to take part in the summoning ceremony. She summons the strongest documented familiar in existence and was placed in the Combatant Class. Rin and her friends must brave the intensive training to become elite combatants to reach their goals. [Sorry, not good at summaries. Hope you enjoy!]
1. Chapter 1

This is an attempt at writing a complex plot with an Inuyasha fanfic. I am trying to gain experience in writing a story. Constructive criticism welcomed.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters.

* * *

"Are you ready for the summoning?" Kagome was in the middle of changing into the training uniform. A pair of shorts, a tank top, and a jacket made from special fibers. These fibers make fabrics durable enough for combat and comfortable. She was fiddling with the zipper of her jacket. "I mean…I am looking forward to it but this could determine a large majority of our lives."

The FORT Organization provided the training suits for their affiliated training sites. The Familiar Observation and Research Taskforce is an organization in charge of the world's research of the tradition of familiar summoning. They have taken the lead in developing the Summoning Ceremony, an organized event to keep summoning documented by turning it into a coming of age tradition.

A major deciding factor for a willing, cooperative supernatural being summoned is the potential of growth as well as the strength of the summoner physically and mentally. FORT introduced training sites on a global scale to train children in combat to help make the summoning happen as safely as possible. Training sites accept children between the ages of four to fifteen. Training at these sites continues until the results of the ceremony are known. Then, the training is based on the appointed classes and the individual decision of the pairs.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Rin answered as she put her hair up into a ponytail. She had finished dressing a while ago and was just making sure she had all of her weapons and if they were strapped in properly. "The ceremony is only two days away and I can't help but get anxious." Rin's wrecked nerves are caused by the piling pressure to awaken as a combatant from her estranged family. He wasn't the easiest man to please and has no patience for those he deems as weak or incompetent. "I just hope that I am strong enough to summon a combatant class familiar."

Kagome laughs as she picks up a bow and a quiver of arrows. "Yeah, I forgot that we are the deciding factor. Way to make a girl feel worse."

The ceremony can be a person's defining moment as their innate power will be awakened by an equally strong supernatural. The FORT Organization has been able to identify the potential or overall strength of the summoned supernatural and by extension the initial strength of the summoner. These discoveries lead to the creation of the three major classes of strength: the civilian, supporter, and combatant.

The most coveted class is the combatant class. The class has the most opportunity to accomplish their goals and get the best resources for education and training. The combatants' advantages are balanced by their duties to their fellow denizens of the planet. They are to act when supernaturals pass through realities' barrier into the human world without an anchor. These supernaturals are dangerous as they are not bound to the rules of reality and can cause chaos while damaging the barrier they crossed. Combatants need to capture the supernatural and force them to return to their side of the barrier. This task is dangerous and as a reward for their service they receive the tools to succeed, including prestige, but reaching success is up to their own determination and skill.

The girls make their way toward the courtyard to listen to the annual speech the head trainer. The training site they are attending was one of the best in the area. They provided classes for almost every type of combat style that includes martial artists, swordsmen, archers, assassin, and the list goes continues.

Most training sites are operated by FORT, but the students are expected to pay tuition. Tuition prices are reasonable, but it can cause some people to seek out cheaper, personally owned training institutions that have fewer options that would best suit some clients. Some parents manage this obstacle by paying for a professional combatant that has retired or a personal trainer for their children. Although almost all children start with the FORT Training sites.

"All right, you all only have two days to prepare for the Coming of Age Festival. Those of you that have turned fifteen this year or have been given special approval will be taking part in the Summoning Ceremony that is the main event of the festival." The director of the site made this speech every year for the upcoming festival. Rin had heard to the point of memorizing it. She spent most of the speech admiring the white snake that was his familiar. "I expect you all have memorized the spell that initiates the ceremony."

The director went on to state that they would be the participants last day at the site and that to always keep the skills that they have learned sharp.

Rin was still in a fantasy about what her familiar would be like as the assembly ended. She had wished for a companionship that familiars represented since she was small and was just as excited as she was anxious for the ceremony.

"Hey! Rin, we need to get going to our classes." Kagome was shaking her arm and pointing to the retreating backs of a few of their peers. The lesson for the day was to begin any minute.

"Oh...I'll see you afterward." She said sheepishly a little embarrassed at being caught daydreaming again. She headed toward a building in the opposite direction from Kagome's destination.

Rin is a part of the assassin class due to her petite frame and dexterity. She practiced a dual short sword wielding style as well as throwing knives and a gun. The assassin class is a type of stealth fighter that focused on the art of remaining unseen before striking a killing blow. She was at the top of her class in stealth and precision.

This classification task includes taking out targets and espionage. However, they are also trained to hold their own in a one on one battle or a struggle against several opponents. Rin focused on being able to take on several opponents at a time and take part in the vanguard position if need be.

Kagome is in the archer class due to her high precision rate. She has practiced marksmanship with several types of bows and guns. The archer class is a type of support for the vanguard fighters. This class's task includes covering other players and taking out enemies from a distance. Along with her marksman abilities she trains as a field medic. Kagome wanted to help those she supports outside of battle as well.

They decided to learn these skills in hopes of being assigned to the same unit if they both managed to get into the combat class. The pair wanted to support their unit and familiars as much as possible in a battle to the best of their abilities.

* * *

The training for the day had ended and Rin had made it home. She lived alone in a large house at the edge of town. Rin inherited the house after her only family died in a car crash seven years ago. As she looked upon her silent home, she couldn't help but remember how warm and inviting her home used to be. Her father had a respected position in the FORT Organization as a part of the support class.

Rin remembered how he would come home from the FORT base with a smile as he asked about her day. The way his crow familiar would complain about hearing her unending story about her friends and classes after being stuck inside all day. Her father would laugh and ask if she wanted to help make dinner.

Her father had been the light of her world, always there when she needed him. His death was a major blow to her little world and the treatment she received afterward shattered it.

The phone began to ring, and Rin came out of her reverie. She saw that it was her uncle and quickly answered the phone. "Hello, Uncle Hirohide."

"The Summoning Ceremony is soon. You must know what that means." He spoke with the briskness of a business reminder.

"Yes, sir. I need to get into the combatant class to continue getting support from the Mori family." This was a conversation that has become redundant over the years. The Mori family has had a reputation for having strong descendants that are always in the combatant class. Her father, however, was a supporter and ostracized for _shaming_ the family by tarnishing their legacy of combatants.

The bias got worse when he married without his father's consent and left the family entirely. Rin only found out about her father's family after his death.

"Good. I expect great things from this ceremony. Get some rest." Hirohide ended the call as quick as it started. The man was not as bad as most of the Mori Household, but he was not a sociable or soft person. He cared enough and provided Rin the best resources but is rarely directly involved in her life.

Rin was again left alone with her thoughts. She had the backing of her prosperous uncle to cater to her needs. He had made sure she could take care of herself since the day they met. Lessons about household chores like cleaning and cooking, budget, and the training to become the best combatant she could. No effort to make her exceptional was too much for the young orphan.

She knew how to live alone, but it did not make it any less lonely.

* * *

The Coming of Age Ceremony was the largest event of the year. The whole community comes together to celebrate the next generation's ascension to adulthood.

Rin is trying to comfort her friend before the main event of the festival began. She wasn't calm either, but Kagome was on another level of toxic anxiety. 'I wonder how someone can get so nervous over something out of her control,' she wondered as she patted her friend's back.

Kagome had been kneeling in a corner for nearly thirty minutes and looked like she was on the verge of passing out.

"I don't think I can do this. What if I mess up the poem?"

"Kagome. You're overreacting."

"What if my familiar does not want to cooperate with me because I'm too weak."

"Kagome, that's..."

"What if nothing happens when I do the ceremony and I have to go through life as a failure."

"Kagome…"

She was spiraling into hysteria. "I would be an outcast and be shamed by others every time I go outside. I'll become a shut-in. Unable to do anything."

"Kagome! You will be fine." Rin yelled softly while throwing her arms up making the robe's sleeves billow around them. "You have worked hard and learned every skill to support yourself and those around you. You are not weak and if your familiar cannot see that then you will just have to knock it into their head."

The two were in white ceremonial robes. The ceremony happens while wearing plain, white robes that are affected by the summoning. Summoning a familiar cause the Summoner's inner power to awaken and creates a design onto the robes. The design and colors that show up will give a hint as to what the powers that they have will be.

Kagome was staring at her friend a little shocked that she could yell at all with her quiet disposition. "Yeah, you're right." The shock was what she needed to get out of her own head. "I can just take charge and show them that I am the best partner they will ever have." She finally stood up straight and looked ready to take on the challenge in front of her.

Kagome's little episode ended just in time as the FORT officials came into the room they were in and told them that they were to go into the summoning rooms next.

The summoning ceremony takes place in the official FORT office that is in almost every prefecture of Japan and any other country. This consolidation of teenagers makes the ceremony take some time to happen. The building is deceivingly small as it is only three stories high but has ten stories of basements.

Several rooms were filled with the entire prefecture's teens anxiously waiting their turn to summon a familiar. Many youths are using this time to check if they have the poem memorized, talking to their peers, or just on their phones. The time it takes for over 200 teenagers to recite the poem and do the ceremony and take their familiar to allow the next group to commence.

The whole ordeal takes time, and this does not consider the many familiars that come comatose because it is there first time being summoned. This problem was taken care of by the festival that keeps the families' of the child taking part in the ceremony. Crowd control is implemented through the festival activities and food stands that are arranged outside of the FORT building. The festival entertains the younger children of the families while the parents wait for their participating child.

The area is secure as several FORT units are patrolling the perimeter and stalls as the large-scale summoning event would cause the barrier to weaken and cause a few stragglers would cross over by accident.

A pair of adults in FORT officer uniforms announced that they were next to go to the summoning chambers. "Group six, you all will be going down to basement nine. You will be expected to stay in your group until you make it to your personal chambers." The male counterpart spoke. He was a large man with a rooster following him. The bird was enjoying the attention it was getting by the teens in its presence.

Rin was watching them with a bit of confusion. She had thought that the ceremony would happen in something like a gymnasium and the entire group would do it together.

Another teen voiced the same concern. The official then turned to them and explained that the system of summoning changed to make it less stressful so that the ceremony would have fewer mistakes. The summoning is performed in individual rooms with one other FORT official to ensure the summoner's safety.

"Oh…" Kagome sighed in relief. "That is comforting. I wouldn't want to mess up and cause a crisis."

Rin was still skeptical. "But if the supernatural that is summoned is aggressive would one official be enough to handle it?"

"Great question back there!" The other official finally spoke. She had let her counterpart speak for most of the encounter with the Summoners.

Rin blushed in surprise. She didn't intend to be heard by the officials. She had not wanted to seem that she was distrustful of the safety measures in place by the organization.

"The way of summoning familiars has set up a clause that weakens the supernatural for the first week that they are in the mundane reality. They will not be any stronger than any of the animals or objects they take the form of. The only thing they can do is move and talk. The summoner's safety will easily be ensured with tranquilizers and other means of immobilization." The official had a small and muscled frame with a tanuki by her side. The small familiar was eyeing the rooster with distaste.

"Yes. It is not harmful to lose your powers for a week, but it is annoying to feel vulnerable for such a long time." The tanuki sounded annoyed at the memory.

"The time during this period is when you try to form and deepen your relationship with the supernatural you summon." The male officer said. "As Kaoru said, the first week is the safest time to feel out the boundaries that you can push with the supernatural that will be partnered with you."

Rin wondered whether that was fair to put the supernatural through such an uncomfortable state. She understood the need to ensure the safety of the person who summoned the familiar as well as those around them. However, what about the supernatural in this unfamiliar place and unable to return for years on end.

Her thoughts derailed when Kagome nudging her and gesturing towards the line of teens leaving the room. She had gotten so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she didn't realize that the time to head towards to chambers had come.

Rin hoped that the familiar she met wouldn't mind the separation and would willing to find solace with being friends with her.

The bright hallway showed successful people with their familiars in portraits. These were people in the support class or higher. They had made a name for themselves not just from battling chaotic supernaturals, but through the work, they did when they were not on call for service.

Many of the framed people are accomplished doctors, Nobel peace prize winners, and Successful business owners. They made something of themselves while staying on call for emergencies. This is the track for many people who do not want to stay and make a career of a militant citizen or a FORT officer.

Combatants are expected to stay in the reserves or on-call whether they care for violence, have other responsibilities, or have opportunities that would conflict.

Rin and Kagome looked at these people and awed by the successful lives people lead.

"I wonder if I could receive acknowledgment for making my documentary series," Kagome spoke while looking at a frame with a man holding a camera and a tiger by his side. The portrait's nameplate stated that this man had made an extensive portfolio capturing the world's beauty and cruelty through a lens. He looked quite content where his life has led him.

"I guess it depends on how much you're willing to work to make it the best documentary series. But I believe you are stubborn enough to keep at it until you have reached your goal."

They had reached the individual rooms for the Summoning Ceremony. The pair that had overseen their group was sending the participants to their rooms and were approaching Rin and her friend. "Hello, you two. Your rooms will be the last two at the end in the hallway to the right of us." Kaoru spoke.

"Hope you get into the class you want." The rooster said in parting.

"Well, I guess it's time to possibly ruin our lives." Kagome joked as she awkwardly marched away.

Rin uncomfortably looked at her friend afraid that she may start freaking out again. "Don't you think that's a little pessimistic? Shouldn't we try to be thinking of the goals that we want to achieve?" The idea of the summoning ruining her life had never crossed her mind and now she could all the things that could go wrong.

Kagome wasn't paying attention anymore as she made it to her designated room. She went in without looking behind her. Rin shook her head as she went into her own room. Nerves on high alert as all the weight of the situation came upon her.

The individual summoning chamber was not as luxurious as the area that surrounded it. The room was white with hardwood flooring. The only interesting thing was the raised dais made of dark stone situated in the center. A table was beside the dais with a first aid kit and a knife on it. A single FORT official was waiting for her on the opposite side of the room.

"Hello. I assume that you already know the procedure for the ceremony, but I will summarize for you anyway." The official spoke stoically. "You will take the knife and recite the poem correctly. Then, you will make a small cut on your hand and allow the blood to drip on to the dais."

The dais had the Zen circle with the journey symbol inside carved into it. The rim of the circle had an inscription of an ancient form of Japanese.

Rin noticed a powdered substance in the carvings of the dais. She knew when learning about the ceremony that the powder is made of amblygonite. A crystal that originates from Brazil. The crystal was implemented to help steady and strengthen inner power as well as being a source of energy. The effects should last for the week the supernatural is powerless.

"Do you understand what you are expected to do?" The official finished.

Rin walked towards the table and picked up the knife. She smelled the hint of bleach and alcohol coming from the object. Feeling relieved at the cleanliness of the knife, she made her way toward the dais. "Yes, sir."

She made the cut and began the ceremony. As she spoke the inscription of the old language glowed.

"_I call upon powers of the beings that were ousted._

_I call upon beings that reside outside reality._

_The barrier's objective shall become clouded_

_And allow balance to reform an enemy._

_The fear of danger wants for preparation. _

_A shackle prepared for unchecked might,_

_The fear of the mighty ignites,_

_A period of seven earthly rotations._

_The outcast shall return into the fold._

_The partnership formed, more precious than gold."_

As she finishes the poem, Rin brings her hand over the middle of the dais letting the blood flow into the powder. Upon contact, the powder in the carving started to glow. The air in the room felt like it was wavering. The room seemed to warp and go out of focus as the light grew brighter.

When it settled down after a few seconds the powder was a deep red color and was still luminescent.

Rin was so ensnared by the spectacle of the ceremony that she failed to notice that her robes had turned orange embroidered with leaves and vines. She also wasn't aware of the official softly taking her hand to bandage it. When she got out of reverie, she noticed the large white dog that laid on the dais. As she approached, she saw it was about the size of a Great Dane but did not have the features of any dog she had seen before. The dog also had some strange streaks of magenta and a crescent moon on its forehead.

"Hmm...I guess this one hasn't been summoned before." The official said as he looked over the large familiar. "He's out like a light"

He turned to examine Rin and then back to the dog. The official shook his head and grabbed the walkie talkie attached to his belt. "Hey, we gotta another unconscious one here. There is no way that the kid will be able to pick it up."

Soon after that conversation, someone came into the room. It was the man with the rooster familiar from earlier. "Yep, that is one big dog." He stated the obvious. "I guess we're gonna have to call your parents or guardian to get it home."

"Uhhh. Then I can give you my uncle's details."

The large dog opened its eyes and surveyed its foreign surroundings. He was on a western-style bed with silk sheets and seemed stuck in a smaller version of his true form. He saw that he was in a large room and a pair of glass doors that lead to a balcony. In slight irritation, he tried to remember what had happened to him.

He remembered being in the forest outside of the family manor practicing his swordsmanship when a bright light appeared, and he lost consciousness. Now that he thought about it, this situation seemed similar to what his foolish father and brother had told him about being summoned.

As he finished this thought, he noticed an unfamiliar scent coming closer to the room. The door opened to reveal a small youth.

She gasped. "You're awake. Hi...umm." She stuttered flustered and uncomfortable at being caught in an encounter before she could prepare what she was going to say to him.

"Are you the one that summoned me?" He spoke to the child with indifference. She seemed as helpless as a babe, but he saw that she held herself with the ease of skilled fighter even as she stumbled her words.

Rin stopped and took a deep breath to calm herself. "Yes, I summoned you last night, but the instructors said that supernaturals that are summoned for the first time usually pass out." She spoke more calmly and confidently. "I'm Rin and I look forward to being your partner from now on."

The large dog looked displeased for a moment. The human before him seemed to expect him to work with her. This development is outside of his expectations of what happens when summoned. His father had left out some details when explaining his time in the human world as had his brother. He wanted answers and an understanding of the purpose of his being here.

He looked toward the girl again. "Why am I here and what is it you expect of me?" he got straight to the point.

Before she could answer someone came into the room. "Hey, Rin! Can you help me with that brat? He is getting on my nerves." Kagome asked in a huff. Clearly pissed at whatever this familiar had done.

"Oh...um. Yeah, be there in a minute." She said "Will you join us in the other room. We are discussing that right now with Kagome's familiar as well." She looked towards him hopefully. He simply nods and makes to get up.

Rin smiles sweetly and follows Kagome out of the room. They go into the living room to find a white dog looking defiant while sitting on the couch. "I am not getting involved in no human affairs again. You better send me back if you know what's good for you." He yelled at them.

"Though I'm not surprised by your immaturity, I do not believe that is the response that father wanted when we make contact with humans." He spoke as he approached the couch and sat on the opposite side of the other dog.

"I wasn't talking to you, Sesshomaru, so but out. The old man was talking to you when he said that anyway." Inuyasha looked ready to jump onto the elder dog. He was pissed because of the summons. Now, he doesn't even have the solace of being nowhere near his bastard of a brother.

"Hmm." Sesshomaru did not look amused. "And yet, you're the only that the precaution applies to."

The girls watched on confused by this turn of events. Their familiars knew each other? Were they related?

"Umm. Do you two know each other?" Rin ventured.

She noticed that Inuyasha was a plain white dog with a single magenta stripe on the sides of his head. While Sesshomaru had two magenta stripes on each of his legs and on the sides of his mouth. He also had a blue crescent moon between his brows. Rin also saw that unlike Sesshomaru's, Inuyasha's ears are like regular dogs.

The arguing dogs looked towards her. "Yes. This uncouth fool is my little brother, Inuyasha." Sesshomaru spoke. "Now, I believe you were going to explain our situation."

Rin spoke first, "Ummm. Then, Inuyasha, what do you remember about the familiar system?" She knew that the notion of familiars being equal was something that became common only recently.

Inuyasha glared at her. "_Familiars_ were at best servants and were used as shields. I was at least with a priestess, so she wasn't completely useless."

"She _was _capable enough to mortally wound you." Sesshomaru commented.

Inuyasha growled jumping toward him from. He tried to attack the neck, but he didn't reach it because Sesshomaru reared onto his rear legs and stomped down on his head.

The brothers fought while the girls watched. "I guess that means He was around before the familiar system was reformed," Kagome spoke absentminded as they watched two white dogs fight.

"Yeah...I think we should start by explaining the way things are now. Then what type of partnerships there are." Rin watched as the brothers growled and bit at each other. They looked ready to kill each other. "I think we should talk to them separately for this discussion. They seem to not get along all that well."

"Alright. Hey, Inuyasha!" She yelled at the smaller of the two dogs. "We're going to my room, so I can explain the system to you."

Kagome walked toward the stairs in the back and started up without looking back to see if he followed.

Sesshomaru took the chance to bite onto Inuyasha's neck and throw him off the couch while he looked shocked at being ordered around. "I believe you need to follow, little brother." He spoke sardonically while placing emphasis on the word 'little'.

Inuyasha just growled while he trudged towards the way Kagome had gone.

"I am guessing the system, as you called it earlier, has changed since Inuyasha was last here. Could you explain how it works now?"

Although, Rin heard it as a question she understood it was a demand. Rin was trying to keep up through her haze of confusion. The behavior he has shown thus far shows that this dog is used to being obeyed. She guessed that he must have been in an important position before she summoned him here. Before she analyzed his actions further she answered him. "I'll be happy to."

"The system used to be about making the familiar submit and obey the summoners orders, but that method usually led to many people, and familiars, dying." She started her lecture off casually. "The mortality rates led to the construction of an organization that regulates the summoning and treatment of supernaturals. They made it where the familiars are equal to the summoner and must be treated that way."

She continued, "It only made sense because many of the supernaturals that were summoned during that time were not proportional to the strength of the one that summoned them." She sighed as she thought of all the problems that could cause. "The organization implemented the use of the Summoner's blood into the summoning so that the strength of summoner and familiar would be about the same."

"You mean to say that you are as strong as me." Sesshomaru sounded offended with the idea. "What criteria is this based on?"

Rin was a little startled by the reaction her explanation caused. "Well, the criteria are the supernatural power that awakens when a person summons a supernatural. People don't know the strength of it until it awakens."

Sesshomaru looked thoughtful for a moment, then motioned for her to continue with his paw.

"Well, the system also includes a contract that is signed at the end of this week." She spoke. "The contracts are placed in three categories of partner, master-servant, and guardian-ward. These contracts are as the name suggests. They will be the basic form of relationship the pair of Summoner and summoned will consent to maintain. And that's basically all you need to know about the system."

"Oh, and you will be back to full strength by the end of the week as well." When she finished saying this, she heard yelling coming from upstairs. 'I guess they both have a temper,' she thought.

Sesshomaru studied the girl in front of him as she distractedly looked where the yelling was coming from upstairs. Her explanation left him questioning his presence in this reality and the way of life in general. She seemed well trained and smart enough. She does not speak as though she holds a rank or cares about those who do. 'Is there not a monarchy anymore?'

He supposed it could be worse and decided he would wait for the end of the week to make his final judgment. If he truly could not stand being with her for his time here he could remedy that at the week's end as well.

He thought about the way his brother returned and how it seemed that it was cut short despite him being there for over fifty years. "Rin. How long do you human's live for?" He questioned.

"Um, depending on the strength of the familiar summoned aging can slow to almost a standstill. The longest recorded lifespan for a human was almost a thousand years old." Rin said feeling excited that he takes an interest in the reality around him.

"Hnn," Sesshomaru responded going back into thought over his situation.

"Well, if you don't mind me asking…" she stalled trying to continue the conversation. "What exactly do you like to eat?"

"I don't eat." He spoke in a monotone with an obvious disinterest toward the topic.

"Oh...but even if you didn't eat in your original reality. You will need to eat something at some point."

"I see." He looked a bit irritated at the news of something else out of his control.

"Ah…" Rin was feeling awkward and anxious. "What t-type of dog are you? Oh! And you're in a position of power, right? What is it that you do?"

Sesshomaru turned his head toward the suddenly excited youth. He was impressed with how observant she is. "I am a Moon demon dog. As for my position, I'm the heir to the Inu Kingdom and that mess I am forced to call a brother will become the General when Father decides to retire."

Rin wondered at how weird the ascension is being handled in the Inu Kingdom. The way the position of power is passed down in human history is usually at a set age or when the previous ruler dies. The thought that it would only happen when the current ruler decides otherwise seemed odd; what would happen if he was weak but doesn't abdicate? It seemed that succession is decided by arbitrary thoughts of the current ruler at best.

Before she could ask any further questions, he spoke again. "I have learned all I need from this discussion for now. Where will I be staying for my time here?"

Another requested demand was thrown her way. She had many more questions and topics to talk about with her new companion, but it would do no good to continue when he did not want to. "Well, my room is the one that you were in earlier. If you don't want to go in there again then there is another on this floor you can use. I can show you to it." She motioned to the hallway that they went through earlier.

"That would be acceptable." Rin looked disappointed as she got up to show him toward the room.

'I wonder if I should call Uncle and get his perspective on how to get closer to her familiar.'

A crash from above and shouting that startled Rin. She wasn't used to so much noise in her home. Rin had always gone over to Kagome's home and rarely ever in the reverse. 'Maybe I should do it to help Kagome as well.'

* * *

A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I am open to constructive criticism. Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you for your kind words and advice. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters.

* * *

Saucy meat was sizzling in a pan as Rin tried to stare a hole into a cookbook. She rarely had to cook Western food and was getting a little frazzled. The ever-growing amount of dishes piled in the sink was getting ridiculous. Running out of ingredients means she would need to get groceries again. She huffed in frustration. "Why does he have to be so picky!" She was almost in tears at this point seeing no end to being snubbed again and again.

"Well, at least you know Inuyasha will eat it," Kagome muttered. "Like he has the last hundred dishes so far." Kagome was done running around cooking and cleaning just to find something that hoity-toity jerk would eat. "Why not just let him have his way and starve. If he wants to suffer let him. It won't affect you either way."

The larger dog had done nothing to get on the fiery girl's good graces. Sesshomaru had taken a holier than thou attitude toward the girls and she was not going to stand for any longer. If he wanted to act pompous and starve so be it. He would be the only one getting the short end of the stick anyway.

"You know we can't do that. He's never been summoned before and doesn't know all the changes that have happened to his body," Rin spoke worriedly. The summoning pulls a supernatural from their reality into theirs and crossing that barrier alters their body. One common change is that a supernatural's constitution changes to have a much higher calorie intake necessity. If they fail to do so they may become very weak or disappear entirely. "I need to find something he will be willing to eat, so it will save some strife later."

Kagome sighed and looked ready to throw herself at a wall. "Well, why not just give him a giant piece of meat and call it a day. His main gripe is that it is for 'humans' and not the food itself."

Rin looked ready to chide her for being so standoffish but then shifted to a more thoughtful expression. "Maybe you're right. He seemed okay with the thought of eating ...now that a few days have passed since he learned about it." She sighed as she went back to the stove to mix the saucy meat with the noodles.

"How can you tell? I mean dogs are supposed to be expressive but he somehow makes cats look more expressive than toddlers hopped up on sugar."

Rin giggled and pulled her phone out to look for some local butchers. "Well, you are not wrong but he is worlds better than Uncle Hirohide."

"Yeah. That man isn't petty." Kagome laughed at the comparison. "Speaking about Mr. Hirohide, didn't you say you wanted to call him to get some help with those troublesome doggos."

Rin stiffened. "Did you just call them doggos?"

"Nuh-uh. Don't try to divert the conversation. We need help and old stone face is out best bet."

"We could ask your mom. She should have some experience." She was grasping at straws.

Kagome scoffed. "Mom's familiar is so lazy that it could barely work up the energy to speak let alone argue with someone. I'm pretty sure the only problem she had with him is getting him to stay awake."

Rin had never known how to handle her uncle. He was the only member she knew of her remaining family. He was the last tie with her father, but his temperament was a polar opposite to her warm father. Hirohide had not been one to coddle or comfort others, whether they were children or not, and his cold actions were something she did not know how to handle. She slowly learned how to gauge his reactions and emotions through observing and trial by fire experiences. Even still she still couldn't find a way to bridge to have a closer relationship with him.

"I know how awkward it is to ask him for help but he has experience with helping strengthen a bond between a summoner and a supernatural." Kagome had been around when Hirohide asked for her mother's help looking after his niece and had seen first hand many of the oddly distant interactions.

She sighed knowing Kagome was right. The problem did not just lie with Sesshomaru's stuffy attitude. He was also cold and inflexible to working with her anyone else. While Inuyasha was brash and rude, always looking for a fight. They were not knowledgeable enough to deal with this on their own and risked building a shaky foundation in their partnership without help. If their bonds were to falter the consequences could be catastrophic.

"Fine. I'll call him, but you have to give them the spaghetti and see if Sesshomaru will eat it."

Kagome huffed already knowing only one of the demons would be eating but went to get the bowls for the pair that were once again fighting and no doubt making another mess. The brothers fought each other at the drop of a hat and the girls had no way of stopping them without putting themselves in harm's way.

Rin pulled her phone out and pulled up her uncle's contact information to call him. The line rang three times before he answered.

"Hello."

"U-uncle Hirohide? Can y-you come over?" Rin stuttered. She rarely ever called outside the planned reports of her grades and living conditions. "Kagome and I are having a bit of trouble getting our familiars to cooperate with us."

"I see. I'll be there in a few hours. I still have some work that needs my immediate attention." And with that, the line went dead, leaving Rin with the dial tone. She sighed and went into the dining area to see how Kagome was faring with the supernatural pair.

Rin, unsurprised, saw that only one dog was eating at the table with her friend. "Um...Prince Sesshomaru, why don't you like this dish?"

Sesshomaru looked ready to start barking at her while Inuyasha started choking on his food. "Don't call me _prince,_" he said with thinly veiled contempt at the word. "The proper honorific is lord."

Inuyasha was still laughing hysterically and Kagome just rolled her eyes at the interaction. Of course, she would want to know how to respectively refer to someone. She did not envy her situation and wondered how she could deal with his pompous and cold attitude. Inuyasha wasn't easy to deal with himself but at least they can have some type of informal conversation.

"Well, then, Lord Sesshomaru, what was wrong with this one in particular." She motioned to the bowl of spaghetti not perturbed at all by the correction.

Sesshomaru responded with a grunt after getting another whiff of overcooked, drowned meat and jumped from the chair he had claimed at the table. He left and she trailed after him wanting to ask about what he ate before he came here.

Before she could continue her questioning about his dietary habits the doorbell rang. Sesshomaru looked toward the sound and then toward Rin. Noticing the unasked question, Rin responded accordingly. "That was the doorbell. It allows a visitor to announce their presence at the door."

Rin went to answer the door and Sesshomaru noticed an odd spike in her scent. He memorized her scent as being a soft whisper of rain and wildflowers. Now her scent has become muddy and muted. Curious about the reason behind this occurrence he followed the girl.

* * *

Hirohide watched as his ward greeted him with a dog large enough to reach her waist. He felt the weasel on his shoulder stiffen at the sight of the dog. "L-l-lord Sesshomaru?" He heard it whisper. The anxiety and fear in his familiar's voice was something rare, to say the least.

"Hello, Uncle Hirohide. This is my familiar, Lord Sesshomaru." She was trying to hide how awkward she felt about having him here at her request.

"Hmm. Are you going to invite me in?" He asked with an eyebrow raise. He watched as she started to seize up and fumble over herself trying to invite him in.

The dog tilted his head in confusion before following the suddenly clumsy girl.

He strolled into the living room and noticed the disarray of the usually immaculate house. "You need to have more control over the guests in your home. I believe you learned to take care of your affairs."

Kagome entered the room looking displeased with their guest's presence. She seemed ready and poised for an argument. Inuyasha was trudging behind her with a glare on his face.

Rin's eyes shifted away from her uncle. "Well, it was a learning curve that I wasn't able to rise above without help." She did not like feeling like she couldn't do something alone, but was not going to stunt her progress because of it. "That's wh-"

"Well, that still does not excuse you allowing these…," he looked toward the dogs one at a time and seemed to consider his words carefully, "supernaturals to do as they please."

"Is that suppose to be an insult," Inuyasha growled. His posture was getting stiff, ears pinned back and head low ready to lunge forward.

Hirohide looked unamused sending a chilling air current his way covering his coat in a layer of frost. "This must be your familiar, Kagome. The resemblance is uncanny." He commented as he watched a white blur shake off the film of ice.

He turned to Rin once more, completely ignoring the indignant huff coming from the other young woman, and inquired whether or not they have gone anywhere to give the supernaturals an impression on their new surroundings.

"No, we didn't think it was a good idea since they keep fighting each other." She answered a bit nervous and afraid of receiving another reproach. "And we did not want to get separated from them."

"Although that is a concern, that can easily be remedied with a simple spell of contract. The fighting will be nothing new and expected around this time considering the influx of new pairings." He spoke and was pulling out his phone and sending a message to his assistant. Once it was sent he put it away and turned to the girls and their partners. "Well, I'll teach it to you quickly and then we can be off." Speaking more to himself than the girls at this point.

The girls looked at each other in slight distress before Kagome spoke up. "Aaand where exactly would we be going."

"We're going to my company, of course." Frustrated with how slowly they were processing this development. "These two will be getting a crash course experience of this reality. Now repeat after me."

Rin and Kagome did not appear to understand how that would help and they were still a bit confused. "Why exactly are we repeating what you say?"

"The pair of the summoner and summoned are placed into an automatic contract that binds them with the summoning ceremony. This contract can be given a physical form through words of power. Now, say 'Pacto societatis videtur'." He exposited with no small amount of frustration.

Understanding his patience was waning they repeated the dead words. The resulting light that appeared around the demons' necks and the girls' wrists were a surprise for the two inexperienced pairs.

Rin saw that a bracelet had appeared and it was an interesting piece of jewelry. At first glance, it was a simple silver cable chain circlet, but on closer inspection, it seemed to have ingrained with jade vines that wrap around the chain and had a single flower charm as a link. She looked at Sesshomaru seeing he had an odd black metal breast plate-like collar that came to a dull point below his shoulder. It seemed to have the same ingrained vines but lacked a flower.

She looked over towards Kagome and saw that they had something that looked like a beaded bracelet and collar. Though it looked like Inuyasha had teeth of claws in his collar.

Hirohide inspected the results and nodded in acceptance. "Now for the tether. Say 'Ad coniungere sociis'."

This spell's result made a line of light formed between the pairs. A coil chain formed from Rin's bracelet and connected to Sesshomaru's collar. It had the same embedded jade vines as their contract jewelry. She looked over to her friend and saw that they had a thin rope connecting them.

"Good. Now, these tethers are not able to interact with anything on this plain except for the partners it's connecting. It will make sure that you won't get separated beyond a set distance. For now, you won't be able to go further than one meter from each other." Rin's uncle explained. "Now follow me, we have a lot to do."

They were outside Hirohide's company soon after. The skyscraper housed several facets of his business from pharmaceutical research and product development to filming studios and talent training facilities. Hirohide had his fingers in several pies.

He was a believer in realizing all the goals you can manage and held those under him to that standard. That is one of the reasons that he pushed Rin and Kagome to be the best.

"Girls, did you finish that projects your practical tutors gave you. Those were supposed to be finished soon, yes."

The girls sighed. They had 'practical tutors' by Hirohide when he found out what their goals were. They were grateful for the real life experience but they suspected that he was just using them for cheap labor.

"The research for medicinal balm recipes and procedures are almost done. I should have the research report finished soon." Rin had been interning for the medical research department in the company for three years now. She had special permission to research because of her achievements and her connection with the Mori family.

"That is acceptable. I expect a good profit from this balm and as always I will be giving you fifty percent." He turned to Kagome and raised an eyebrow expecting a response.

"The research and script for that mini-documentary I was given have been finished. Now, I just need to turn it in to be reviewed."

Hirohide hummed in acceptance of this information. "Well, now that that's out of the way." He turned to the dogs that were following the conversation with interest. "Sesshomaru, Inuyasha, do you have an understanding of what a business is?"

"Yeah, we know what a business is. That job is just for people of a lower status." Inuyasha spoke sounding offended with the question.

The Inu Kingdom still lived by feudal standards with some regulations, but the royal family still rely on taxation. Their focus is the defense and ruling their kingdom, so the petty dealings of merchants are above them.

"But I suppose that is not the case in this reality." Sesshomaru said with cold indifference. He had noticed that the system here was not solely focused on the country's ruling body's success or achievements in favor of their own.

This is not a system that he was familiar with but considering the common standard of life seems well above the current standard of the Inu Empire. He wondered whether he should implement some of these procedures when he ascended to the throne.

"An astute observation. In fact, many of the country's decision making structures have been changed or even abandoned to embrace a more efficient and idea fluid system. Many of the countries in this reality even allow the citizens to speak out against its ruling body to dissuade corruption." He spoke with the ease of a professor at a lecture.

"What! So they let those useless commoners say what they want without any consequences!?" Inuyasha seemed appalled by the thought of being reproached by those who are unknown to him and below his station. Sesshomaru growled at his brother.

"Maybe if you were reproached more often you would not have such uncultured habits."

"You looking for a fight, ya petty bastard?"

Sesshomaru just stared unimpressed at him, then asked Hirohide what they were going to do at his establishment. "I am going to give you and your brother a short tour. Then, a rundown of how some of the procedures here work."

The girls groaned as they were already familiar with the company considering they come and work there once a week. The tasks they were given were usually assisting someone in their dream fields.

After a tedious explanation and tour later, Hirohide was explaining the basics functions of some mobile electronics when he got a call from his assistant. "I see. Rin, you'll be sitting for a meeting for me. Kagome, time to be a camera assistant."

She huffed and stomped off. Inuyasha was a bit confused and just watched her go. He was about to ask what a camera assistant was when the tether started to drag him away forcing him to go find his partner grumbling all the way.

Sesshomaru was watching this in mild amusement when Rin tapped him on his furry head. "We need to get to the meeting so, we should get going." She mumbled. "A new medical lotion will need a marketing direction and Uncle wants me to be his intermediate." He looked at her mildly annoyed at being touched but nodded anyway.

They made their way to one of the smaller conference rooms that the company had on the tenth floor. Along the way, Rin explained that the reason she was sitting in on the meeting was that she was the one that made the formula for this particular cream. "The recipe came about on accident when I was given a task to make a simple lotion for rashes caused by an allergy. Buuut I may have messed it up a bit and it turned out to be an improvement with the amount of time of continued use." A slight blush of pride crawled across her face as she explained. She was not entirely sure why she wanted to have her new partner's approval considering they were still strangers but she just wanted him to see her good side.

Sesshomaru hmmed. "So you made a medicinal cream that works faster than the original. Does it work for more skin ailments as well?" The sophistication of the technology impressed him immensely. It seemed like valuable information to learn.

"Oh. I don't know all the specifics because I'm not allowed to actually test anything on subjects, but Uncle Hirohide said that it worked for most allergic reactions and relieves some forms of skin problems. It was supposed to be a type of over the counter remedy. That means that it is distributed without needing a doctor's prescription." She hurriedly explained.

"Hnn."

The room they came into had several people dressed in business attire. The mild chatter that had been filling the room quieted upon their arrival and they turned cold eyes on Rin, ignoring the large dog beside her entirely. The room was getting excruciatingly stuffy and uncomfortable to be in. Sesshomaru gave a surprised glanced toward a calm and collected Rin despite the scorn.

"Hello everyone. My Uncle has told me that I will be his representative for this meeting. I hope you all will treat me with the respect you would show him as we go through this project together." Her voice was oddly higher than usual.

Sesshomaru wondered on the wording she used for her greeting but pushed it away for later. He followed her to the head of the table and sat in a chair beside her.

"Ms. Rin. Even if you are doted on by your uncle having a dog sit in on the meeting is unprofessional." A woman spoke down to her as the small snake around her neck lifted its head to do the same.

"I understand your concern, Ms. Kim. However, this is my familiar partner Sesshomaru and there is no rule against their presence in a business setting," she said calmly. "As my elder, I thought you would be celebrating my coming of age, but I understand that you are getting on in years and cannot keep up with the events around you."

Sesshomaru chuckles at her response to the rude remark.

"Also, I believe that in a business setting it is more respectful to address each other by surnames unless you have an intimate relationship. So, if you would please do so from now on."

"Yes, Ms. Mori." She grounded out while her familiar hissed.

"Thank you. Now, if you would please give your presentation for our marketing plan."

The meeting went smoothly after that altercation. The marketing team has estimated that they should invest ten thousand dollars in advertisements on social media. The basic advertisement would be about a mother that would get this lotion for her daughter to help with her self-confidence with her appearance.

"That is not acceptable. This cream is primarily for allergy based rashes and the effects on acne are superficial at best. The additional effects are actually more beneficial for removing warts and hydrating skin." Rin spoke mildly. "The overall campaign only needs minor changes but the advertisement will need to have new concept immediately."

The team of adults before her were not content with her decision. "Why is that exactly? In my opinion, although the acne part may need to change why is it that the mother-daughter duo concept has to be scrapped entirely." A disgruntled male with a kangaroo rat on his shoulder asked.

"Have you ever known anyone to want to hear about their parents talk about the brand and effectiveness of a rash cream they had to use." She responded. "Lord Sesshomaru, would you want your mother or father to relay any embarrassing information about you?"

Somewhat taken aback he took a moment before answering. "...No, it would most likely result in another fight."

"In **my** opinion, this ad is not appealing for what the product is meant for and would more than likely cause more people to avoid the product. A more appropriate concept would focus on the benefits of rash relief with an epidermis expert and a label that is discreet and only makes the hydration benefits the most prevalent focus. This will make it more trusted by parents and discreet enough where people, especially teens, will not be self-conscious if they have to use it outside of their home."

The group was not trying to cover their discontent toward her criticism. Many of the familiars were openly hissing or growling at her for upsetting their partner. Rin watched this with a surprisingly indifferent expression. She has been acting as if this immature behavior is the norm.

Sesshomaru was not liking the disrespect coming their way. He may not like the situation he's in, but he saw more benefits in taking his time learning about the technology and customs of this reality to improve his own kingdom. Allowing his unwanted partner to be demeaned is not something he will ignore.

He barked at the discontented grumbling of the adults in the room. Once the room quieted he spoke, "You all, if I am not mistaken, are adults. The behavior you have demonstrated thus far has been nothing but shameful. Rin is the representative of the president of this company and as such it follows that these actions are toward him. This is an occurrence is something he will find very interesting considering that it concerns his business." He looked threateningly to the men and women before him. The familiars were cowering in a corner of the room in fear. They were just realizing the name and markings of the dog beside the small girl. He was the infamous and cold-hearted heir of the Inu Kingdom.

The faces of the adults were pale white with the realization that they may lose their jobs. "Ms. Mori, surely this is not so important to bring your uncle involved. We will follow your concept and make sure it is done immediately." The others began to agree and escaped out of the room.

He huffed at their exit then jumped down from his chair and started his trot out of the room. Rin just watched him go for a second before following after him. She was genuinely shocked that he would stand up for her. She stayed in this zoned out state for the remaining trip back to her uncle's office.

* * *

Kagome came back into the office tired and annoyed with the world. She was grumbling as she stomped to the couch Rin was reading a book and slumped into. Inuyasha trotted soon after looking decidedly pissed at his situation.

Hirohide looked up from his laptop soon after this spectacle raising a brow. "Are you quite done?"

"Why do I have to help the cameramen and prop directors when I already did a majority of the research for that project?" Kagome started to grumble.

"You know full well what the purpose of your position. Now, what did you learn?"

She huffed as she started to explain the problems that occurred on the set and recording station. "The recording for the overview went smoothly but when it was time to film the interviews the head historian kept forgoing the prepared questions that derailed and muddled the focus and message of the film. Now, the editing team may not be able to make the estimated deadline because of all the retakes and useless footage that will most likely happen throughout the filming process." She was speaking fairly fast and was turning red in the face at the memory.

"I see. If the problem is that overt with only being present for about five hours, then I may need to intervene soon if it goes on as you expect." He took a moment to ponder this predicament then took some notes before addressing Rin.

"Well, they still need to be more courteous during meetings. They are most likely to offend important partners with their attitude and would most likely cost partnership opportunities with small companies with innovative ideas." She sighed as she looked away and into the distance. She was reminiscing about the many other occasions where this same behavior.

"It was quite inappropriate for the outcome they wanted." Sesshomaru commented from his corner of the couch. He sat up from his previous position and looked toward the pepper-haired man behind the desk with discontent. He still felt that those adults needed a harsh punishment but knew what he had in mind was not acceptable.

"Well, at least they kept their hands to themselves. Those people we had to deal with kept trying to pet me like I was some common mutt." Inuyasha grumbled.

"What? Isn't it against some sort of custom or law to touch another person's familiar?" Kagome looked toward Hirohide for confirmation. The man in question was trying to rub away a headache. This was not something he was expecting to deal with when he made plans for this little trip.

"Although it is not against the law, touching a supernatural summoned by another person is seen as a severe insult to the pair. If this was done in ignorance or maliciously could cause serious repercussions for many relations with actors and their affiliated companies." He sighed while he continued to rub his temples.

His phone buzzed then and as he read the message Hirohide's mood only worsened. He sighed again. "Well, your tasks for the day are done. So you may leave and as for the reward you can take this and do as you like for the rest of the day." He pulled out a black credit card from his wallet.

"What's the limit?"

"The limit is fifty-thousand dollars. Now go and don't cause me any trouble."

"All right! Let's go, Rin. We're going downtown. Goodbye, Mr. President." Kagome practically skipped out of the office, her earlier exhaustion forgotten, dragging her fluffy partner with her.

"Bye, Uncle Hirohide." Rin bowed before leaving with Sesshomaru beside her.

Hirohide could hear the loud question of "What is this 'downtown' place your talking about?" as they made their way to the elevator. He let out a small chuckle as he took his own leave from the office.

* * *

A/N: I'm sorry about taking so long for this update. Hope you enjoyed the story so far. Thank you for all the reviews and compliments.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys! I'm really happy that you all are enjoying the story so far. Please review.

* * *

Rin made his way upstairs with Sesshomaru trailing begrudgingly behind her. She had woken up early and had gotten ready for the day. She had dressed in her usual orange, short sleeve button down and a simple black, cotton suspender skirt that stopped only slightly above the knee. She was excited to introduce some new things to the boys today.

She looked back to her partner and noticed that he was showing some obvious effort in keeping up. Hesitating for a moment she confronted him, "Lord Sesshomaru...don't you think you should eat something? You did have a few snacks a couple of days ago, so…um... maybe you can tell me something you would want that is more ...substantial?"

He glared at her before grouching out, "This change you mentioned is proving _quite _inconvenient." He huffed. "But if I must comply to stop it impeding me further then I will eat raw meat."

She beamed down at him. "Thank you for telling me. I have several places that will be able to provide several types, so I'm sure we can find something you will favor." Rin continued to list off several options he could choose from along with how happy she was that he was finally willing to eat.

Sesshomaru listened patiently but was surprised how well he was taking her antics and overall presence. He usually never stood for such impudence but her behavior was oddly relaxing to be around. This was a development he was not expecting.

They made it to the guest room Kagome has been using during her stay at Rin's home. She knocked on the door a couple of times and called out to its inhabitants before brandishing a key.

"I did give fair warning before resorting to such rude behavior, so I'm doing nothing wrong." She said with mock concern as she gave Sesshomaru a cheeky grin. He huffed indulgently at her antics.

Rin giggled as she stepped into the room to see that the pair were still sleeping. "Really. Of course, she sleeps on the last free day we will get in a while." Sesshomaru looked interested in that comment but kept silent.

Huffing she strode over to the bed and snatched the pillow from under her causing her to yelp. "Riiin, why would you do this to me?" Kagome whined as she sat up in her kitty pajamas. Her hair was a mess and looked like it was trying to escape her head.

Rin was about the bop her with the pillow when a low growl stopped her.

She turned to see Inuyasha growling at her, his eyes glowing red. He did not seem to be himself and ready to attack her. Shocked at the sudden aggression, Rin mistakenly moved too quickly still clutching the offending pillow.

Inuyasha lunged at her with his fangs ready to tear into her flesh but failed to reach her as Sesshomaru tackled him. Unfortunately, it seemed that whatever happened to him had spread to his brother. His red, flashing eyes held no recognition for his brother and they did not show his usual temperament.

He roughly bit down on the back of his little brother's neck, red splotches of blood dripping on the floor, a sizzling sound emitting from the wound, forcing him down and holding him there. Inuyasha was thrashing wildly causing more blood to splatter on the tiled floor.

Rin alarmed and recognizing the acidic smell coming from the fighting dogs. "Ad coniungere sociis!" Almost as soon as the tether formed she pulled on it as hard as she could. Despite her best effort Sesshomaru barely moved and refused to let go.

Kagome, fully awake and considerably freaked out, shot out of bed. She watched in horror and fear for a moment as she tried to figure out what she should do. When she thought back to that little magic lesson with Rin's uncle.

"Rin, the magic stuff that Mr. Mori taught us is primarily placing power and importance in words using Latin as a medium right?" She spoke frantically nearly tripping over her words.

"What does this…!?"

"JUST ANSWER THE QUESTION!"

Rin was not sure what this had to do with the current situation but answered nonetheless. "Yes, all you need to know is what you want to do and say a corresponding word." She continued to struggle with pulling her pair away from his struggling brother.

"Then, I just need to think of them passing out and say...say...WHAT IS THE LATIN WORD FOR SLEEP?!" Kagome was trying her best to stay calm but the fighting had taken a dangerous turn.

"It…it's sopor!"

Kagome shouted the word with as much feeling as she could, hoping that it would be enough to subdue the dogs. Inuyasha stopped struggling almost immediately, but his brother turned to them, with fiery red eyes, growling as he took a step toward Kagome before succumbing to the spell.

A moment later there were two large dogs passed out on the floor. One slowly healing an open wound on his neck.

The tense silence was abruptly interrupted by Rin's ringtone.

"Hello?" Rin answered absently. She was still in shock and was still not sure what to do next.

Hirohide's voice came from the device in his usual calm tenor. "I expect you and Kagome to be at the entrance of the Mori Estate in approximately thirty minutes along with your summons."

"What do you mean? I thought the Mori Elder forbade me from stepping foot there." Brought completely out of her reverie by this new development. The Mori Elder has disliked that her uncle took her in as his charge from the beginning. He was resolute about ostracising Rin from the rest of the Mori household.

"What would be so imp…" Before she could finish her question her uncle had already ended the call. Rin looked at her phone in exasperation. Her uncle really needed to take a moment to fill people in before moving on.

"What is going on?" Kagome asked. She could see that the shock her friend was displaying was not pertaining to the scare with the dogs. 'What could be more shocking than that sudden shift in personality?' She thought.

"Well, we're going to the Mori estate with Lord Sesshomaru and Inuyasha." She stated simply.

Kagome cursed.

* * *

The Mori Estate was located in a privately-owned, mountainous stretch of land surrounded by a forest. The estate was constructed several hundred years ago by the ancestors of the Mori family. The architecture was done in the traditional Minka style. The homes within its perimeter were a mix of this traditional style and a more western interpretation. Gardens, ponds, and stone pathways separated the satellite houses. The main house was in the middle of the estate and halfway up one of the mild mountains and the most extravagant, traditional house.

The group had been escorted from Rin's manor by her uncle's secretary to the gates of the estate. The towering perimeter wall was daunting to approach and decorated with a giant mural of trees and greenery.

The gates opened and her uncle was there to greet them. He had an entourage that seemed to be impeding his usual efficiency. Rin knew from the tight expression that he was about to burst. However, the mindless group of suck-ups were not catching any of these warning signs and continued to try and flatter the man.

She did not want to bring attention to herself because, although she has never set foot here before, she was plenty familiar with how this family feels about her connection with her uncle and overall presence. They were unforgiving and merciless to those they deem as outsiders even if they were of the same blood.

But she could never really adhere to that mindset and would rather avoid seeing her uncle lash out at these people, even if they did deserve it.

Rin took a deep breath before speaking out. "H-hello, Uncle Hirohide. W-what was i-it you needed us for?" She stuttered out reaching over to grab her other arm.

The people that fawning and being a hinderance took notice of their guests for the first time. The sudden shift from the positive, airy atmosphere to a cold, heavy one was expected. The cold and almost angry looks they were sending the two girls were uncomfortable, to say the least. It was as if they believed themselves in some way nobles looking down at a common serf. In fact, that would be an apt description for the majority of the Mori household. An unchanging, stagnant facet of old-world nobility.

They clutched tightly onto their title that survived the centuries and would gladly tear apart anything that would tarnish or outshine their link to the rich heritage. Especially modern ideals that focused more on the achievements of individuals and not the propagation of a household's lineage.

"What is she doing here, Hirohide?" A small woman with a simple bob said. She was accompanied by a small monkey no bigger than a man's hand.

"Isn't she banned from the estate?" This time a man somewhat taller than Rin's uncle spoke up. He had what looked like a raven on his shoulder but it had three feet instead of two.

A few more grown men and women spoke negatively about the young women that were in their presence as if they were not there. This continued for some time until Hirohide had had enough of their foolishness.

It seemed that Rin's attempt at intervening before this outburst was in vain.

"Silence!" Hirohide was finished dealing with their constant chattering. "They were invited by me so we could get some information on their new summoned partners." He shot a glare at the gaggle of hindrances that he was forced to acknowledge as his relatives. "You all should know that the Mori household has a tradition of documenting the summons contracted to its members."

One of the braver men in the group of admirers spoke up. "But wasn't she ousted from this family and that person there is not even a part of this household. As heir shouldn't you be more aware of your actions and their consequences."

Hirohide balled his fist and tried to take a deep breath. He had always hated the close-minded and stagnant views the Moris held dear. The antiquated views, his father had placed on an undeserved pedestal, are one of the first things he will have to change when inherits the position of the family head.

Before responding he took a moment to calm down so as not to do something he would regret later. "Her father, _my elder brother, _was not banished or cut off. He simply left for research that was largely necessary for the development of the summoning and bonding procedures for us and our supernatural counterparts. The same research that the Mori family took as their own achievement." He glared at the adults around with such disgust you would think he was looking at an unwashed dumpster for a trashy restaurant.

The gaggle looked away from the seething man they were just singing praises for. The assortment of animals at their sides leaned into their summoners in an attempt to comfort them.

"You lot have caused enough of a scene. As you said we have someone not of our household among us so we need to protect our image instead of destroying it as you have done," The weasel on Hirohide's shoulder accused.

"Simant, don't bother with them." He turned to the girls. "We will be heading to the archives to register your summons and get their basic background. Miss Higurashi, you were invited to do the same considering your summon is related to Rin's."

He took a moment to study the girls. "Where are those dogs of yours?"

"Wellll, we kinda put them to sleep and can't seem to wake them up. So we put them in a storage gem my mom made for us." Kagome went on to explain the situation that led up to this point.

Hirohide sighed. "I will help you find a spell to wake them up but let's get to the archive room first." He shot a glance at Rin noting her discomfort then marched off, presumably to their destination.

* * *

The archives were a building all its own that was located at a halfway point of the main house and the bottom of the mountain with the estate. Thousands of combatant pairs were documented here along with varying amounts of information. The household had taken it upon themselves to have personal records along with the official reports kept by the government and the FORT organization.

The Mori family has been known to only have combatants on documented records as well as several historical observations, autobiographies, and any bits of information they deemed important or interesting. Rin always wondered why the household seemed to pressure its members about the strength they have no control over, especially considering how it seems to be a dominant trait.

A rather odd and scientifically unfounded phenomenon.

The inside of the building was a rather large grand chamber complete with an open second story. The interior showcased a noble setting with the strong, dark oak wood in the banisters of the second floor and staircases. There were areas in the front foyer that had some sturdy tables and chairs that were meant to study the documents in house.

There were rows upon rows of shelves filled to the brim with folders and scrolls and loose documents along with some traditionally and modernly bound books. The family records held such an expansive collection that it would not be too much of an exaggeration to call it a historian's holy ground.

Their escort turned to them and told them to bring their partners out of the gem. Kagome compiled by touching the gem and calling her summons name. Rin doing the same with her own gem.

"Storage gems are quite expensive. It must be convenient to have a mother with the spatial core." Hirohide looked at the gems with appreciation as he addressed Kagome.

"Yeah, you jealous?" She boasted quite proud of her mother and having something to lord over Rin's uncle. But realizing she heard a term that she wasn't familiar with and she leaned over to her friend to ask about it. "What's a- … uh, core?"

"A core is the term used for the center of our power in the body. It's usually referenced with the type of power you awakened to." Rin whispered back.

"Focus you two." Hirohide scolded them. "How exactly did this happen?"

"Uncle, we already ex…"

"I know the circumstances around this result, but how exactly did you cast the spell in question." He interrupted.

Kagome looked toward Rin, who did the same, as she started to pick at the seam of her skirt. "Well, I ...um… just shouted the word sleep in Latin and hoped it would work." She refused to look at the man who had been their mentor for most of their lives.

He looked livid. "That was extremely dangerous and irresponsible. Magic is easy enough to initiate but the consequences can be catastrophic. The only way to keep that outcome from happening you need to be calm and have a clear image of what you want to happen, and if applicable, for how long." He gave each of the girls a hard, serious stare.

"However, I understand that it was an emergency and they are in no danger of lasting effect from this incident." He relented and took a moment to check a few of the brothers' vitals before speaking a word or two in Latin. The dogs started to stir from their comatose state.

"Ugh… what the hell happened?" Inuyasha crudely spoke as he roused from his stupor.

The elder brother stood and shook himself. Confused as he was he wouldn't dare show it affected him. Instead, he observed his unfamiliar location, annoyed that he found himself in a second location after essentially being knocked out again, and strode over to Hirohide. "I expect you have an explanation for this inconvenience." He shot a rather pointed look at Kagome when he said this.

"The two of you were experiencing a need to protect your summoners. This must be since you will have your powers restored tomorrow."

"So, now we will lose our sanity if we think that they are in any perceived danger, no matter how small?" He grounded out, his eyes flickering red. This news would have been quite reassuring to the two supernaturals, if not for yet another change to norms they were used to, as being in this weakened state for such a long time had been very disconcerting for them. Inuyasha was grumbling about how this was not something he had to deal with the last time he arrived in this reality.

"No, no. That is only how it will be for the next five or so hours from when such behavior first happens." He responded casually as he moves on to another topic. The boys, on the other hand, were seething.

He turned toward the girls with that in mind. "On the subject of tomorrow, that is also when you will receive the examination to find out the type of your cores and the strength of your familiars. Are you prepared?"

Rin looked a little uncomfortable. "Well not exactly. But we did get them some clothes when we were out shopping, in case they have a human form." They had gotten lucky because there was an associate who had the ability to appraise people and items. This allowed them to pick clothing with the right sizes although, since the appraiser was of the civilian class, they couldn't give them any more information.

"Hmm...well, you should be fine considering your past achievements but do not become complacent. Now then let's get these records over with. We'll get the types and class when you all get examined tomorrow."

The documentation went as anyone would expect. They did get some intriguing information about the current affairs of the demonic reality. Hirohide was straightening up the papers to put into the records when he thought of something.

He turned to the dogs when he spoke again. "Did you tell your partners what this exam entails?"

"Uh, no. But it should be fine considering that we won't need to show any coordination with our familiars." Kagome answered optimistically.

"So, they don't know." He stared at them for a while longer before whistling. "Come here, you two." Kagome and Rin were taken aback that he would have the audacity.

Inuyasha started to growl immediately. "Who the hell do you think you're whistling at?"

Sesshomaru quite noticeably bristled at the impertinent behavior. If looks could kill then Rin's uncle would be as dead as a doornail.

The person who was on the receiving end of this stare was not perturbed in the slightest. Unfortunately, the weasel on his shoulder was not feeling that same sense of calm. Poor creature was so agitated he looked ready to vacate the room at top speed. 'I forgot to ask why he is so conscious of these dogs. Well, that will have to wait for another occasion." He thought to himself.

"You two will be expected to fight, well more like spar, with the one summoned you. This will be to help you finalize your decision on whether to enter into a permanent contract with them." He breezed through the explanation.

Inuyasha was about to yell some more profanities for his disrespect when he processed what he said. "So, I get to beat her up and go home without any consequences? Nice!" Kagome gave an insulted huff.

"What makes you think that you will be able to. I'd wipe the floor with you, no problem."

This interaction would have lasted longer if not for the person who burst through the doors as loudly as possible. This was perceived as a threat by the dogs and they started growling and barking at the intruder while getting between them and their charge.

They were about to attack when blue chains appeared to restrain them. Simant had jumped from his master's shoulder to call upon his powers. He seemed to be struggling despite the two demons' near powerless state.

Hirohide noted this and observed the situation curiously before addressing the one who had rudely entered and set this all in motion. "Good afternoon, Father."

"Hirohide! How dare you allow that abomination into the estate!? You even allowed an outside into our ranks!" The Mori Head was aggressive in his delivery looking ready to actually harm his son for this so-called _offense_. He disregarded the barely held back dogs in chains as he stomped up to his son.

Rin had flinched and drawn into herself. She wanted to sneak off to a dark corner and wait out the rage this man seemed to radiate whenever it involved her or her deceased father. She would have done just that if not for her friend and newly acquired companion's presence. The trembling girl looked over to see her friend was looking both offended and perturbed by the raving ball of wrath in front of her.

No one would really blame her reaction as it was a rather jarring realization. This was not the figure you would expect to be Hirohide's father considering his usual poise and temperament.

Hirohide weathered this storm of anger like a parent waiting out a child's tantrum. "Are you finished?" His voice dripped a venom that had Rin and Kagome gasping. They had never seen the icy man actually express his displeasure. He was always one to dryly comment on one's misbehavior or tease the person he was talking to.

"As you know, it is custom to document _all_ Mori family members and in some exceptions close friends of the family. This criterion fits both of the young women present." He continued with that same venom. "Now, it would do for you to remember your manners in front of guests and younger members of the household."

"You have no right to speak to me in such a way! And that...that child," he threw his hand towards Rin while grinding that word, obviously wanting to say a more offensive word, "is not apart of this family." The sudden movement towards his charge caused Sesshomaru to growl and charge at the impassioned man.

"Simant."

The command was answered instantaneously with the chains around the large dog tightening fiercely causing him to crash down with a vengeful bark.

The Mori elder seems to acknowledge the two chained dogs for the first time. "What are these mutts doing here?" He meant it to sound authoritative but it sounded more like a petulant child.

Hirohide ignored his question and instead addressed his earlier statement with a glare with enough hatred and spite to freeze any lesser man's heart instantly, the room noticeably dropping several degrees. "These young adults are indeed affiliated with this family as _you_ never **officially** banished or disowned my elder brother, your first son, so Rin is apart of this household. The only reason she is not allowed to take her rightful place is that you wanted to spite your son for making his own decisions."

He took a moment to calm himself down. "You have no reason to interrupt as this would not have involved you in any way if you had stayed on course with your schedule."

Hirohide's father looked at him for a moment longer before growling and storming out aggravating the dogs again. At the entrance, a stag looked into the records room and bowed its head in apology before following the angry man.

"Rin, Kagome, that is all for now. You should go to the car for now and I will bring the boys to you once they calm down." His normal demeanor was back but strained.

They nodded before making their way out of the building in uncomfortable silence. After a moment, he whispered something and the demons in front of him calmed down.

Once they were in control of themselves Simant was able to finally stop restraining them. He tiredly slunk his way back to his master's side and jumped onto his lap.

Hirohide absently petted the weasel while he took a moment to reorder his thoughts.

He watched, almost absently, as Sesshomaru slowly stood up and shook himself trying to clear the fog from his mind. Inuyasha slumped in a sitting position drained for that extended episode.

"I understand that you will still need to make the decision of whether you stay or not yourselves." He looked at Inuyasha when he said this. "However, I do believe that your time here will be beneficial. Your presence will also be very reassuring in regards to there safety."

Hirohide looked tired and drained. It seems like the girls' safety has been a constant worry for the pepper haired man.

"What could be dangering their safety to cause you such concern?" Sesshomaru asked. The canine was not seeing what would be a cause to worry in the society he had a glimpse of.

"Yeah. It looked safer than ever out there. It was way worse during my first time here." Inuyasha was just as confused as his brother.

Hirohide just smiled ruefully. "Many things have changed and though the danger is no longer constant. It is far from safer." He made a dismissive gesture while addressing his summon. "Simant, please escort them to the girls."

* * *

Kagome decided that maybe they could go to her home to unwind for the event tomorrow. The run-in with the Mori family in general and their summons aggressive actions they could use a bit of a calming atmosphere.

"Sure. But let's stop by a butcher for Lord Sesshomaru." Rin was still a bit worried about whether he would start eating as he should.

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes at the comment. He was still not entirely in agreement for this change but was not going to act like a child either.

With that decided she asked the driver that Hirohide had supplied to take them to their new destinations.

They make it to the Higurashi residence in a little over an hour later. Mostly due to Inuyasha trying to get all the types of meats at the butchery. This lead to a need to stop by Rin's manor to store some of the excessive amounts of food and for Rin to get some things for the impromptu slumber party.

With that settled, they went to have a much deserved relaxing evening with good company.

* * *

A/N: I'm sorry for the late update. I was not in the best situation to update sooner but that has been solved. I will try to update more regularly in the future.


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